Bottle-capping tool



March 1929. H. J. LEBHERZ ET AL 1,704,295

BOTTLE GAPPING TOOL Original Filed Jan. 4, 1927 Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY J. LEBHERZ AND ROBERT W. LEBHERZ, OF FREDERICK, HARYLAiN'D, AB- SIGINOBS TO THE EVEREDY COMPANY, OF FREDERICKQMARYLAND, A CORPORA- TION OF MARYLAND.

BOTTLE-CAPPING TOOL.

Original application filed January 4; 1927, Serial No. 158,908. Divided and this application filed September 14, 1927. Serial No. 218,521. i v i i i ()ur invention relates broadly to bottle capping tools and more particularly to an attachment for a capping throaton a bottle capping tool.

5v This application is a division of our application Serial Number 158,908, filed January 4, 1927, now Patent No. 1,643,076 dated September 22, 1927.

i The broad object of our invention is to .10 provide an attachment for a bottle capping throat in a bottle capping tool for supporting a crown cap in position with respect to the bottle capping throat ready for applica tion to a bottle.

A specific object of our invention is to provide a construction of wire device which may be sprung over a bottle capping throat for carrying a crown cap in bottle capping position with respect to a bottle.

Other and further objects of our invention reside in the arrangement of wire carrier for the crown caps in a bottle capping throat as will be more clearly understood from the specification thereinafter following by reference to the accompanying drawings where- Figure .1 is a fragmentary View of a bottle capping tool showing the application of the cap guide or carrier of our invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken through the bottle capping throat illustrating the wire attachment of our invention; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the wire member; and Fig. 4 a side view of the wire member in position on the bottle capper throat.

Our invention relates to that class of hottle capping tools shown in the copending application of Harry J. Lebherz, Serial No. 69,868, filed November 18, 1925. The details of construction of the bottle capping tool of our invention described more particularly in Letters Patent Nos. 1,356,161, dated October 19, 1920, granted to Harry J. Lebherz, Reissue 15,285, dated February 14, 1922, granted to Harry J. Lebherz, and 1,- 421,698, dated July 4, 1922, and granted to Harry J Lebherz.

By the construction of the bottle capping tool described herein we reduce the number of parts required in the assembly of the bottle capper and thereby decrease manufacturing costs and yet secure a bottle cap ping tool which may be operated in quick succession for applying crown caps to bettles. the arrangement of parts being such that thebottle capping throat and operating lever are automaticall returned to an elevated position after eacli cappi operat1on. The spring meansmay be in t 1e form of a bridgeextending on opposite sides of a rider and engagin the segmental end of the operatlng lever w ich meshes with the vertically extending rack, normally maintainmg the operating lever in an elevated position, as a result of which the bottle ca ping throat is normally elevated above t e bottles to which crown caps are to be successively applied. The spring means may be housed between the side walls of the rider and engage the segmental end of the operating lever for maintaining the operatmg lever in elevated position. In order that the crown caps may be conveniently applied to the bottles we provide a spring member which maintains the crown caps in position while the rider and ca ping throat which constitutes the walls of the rider is in the form of an enclosure for the rack 3 and provides a pivot 6 for the operatinglever 7.

The rider 4 is shapedadjacent one edge as represented at 8 to embrace the sides 901' the rack 3 so that the rider 4 iscapableof reciprocatory movement along the rack 3. The lever 7 is providedwith a segmentalend which is toothed as represented at 10, the teeth of the lever 7 meshing with the teeth of the rack 3. The end of the lever 7 is notched asrepresented at 11 to receive a U- shaped bridge member 12 therein. The side walls of the rider 4 are notched as repre' sented at 13 so that the bridge member 12 may be normally centered when the operat ing lever 7 isin its elevated position. The bridge member 12extends over the side walls of the rider 4 and has portions thereof depending on opposite sides thereof. The end portions of the bridge member 12 terminate in hook members which engage with spring members 14- The spring members 14 are provided with hook shaped ends let which extend into notches d in the side walls of rider at. The spring members lat are balanced against each other on opposite sides of the rider and tend to maintain the U- shaped member 12 in its lowermostposition and in abutment of the segmental end of the hand operated lever 7. Pressure applied to the hand operated lever 7 serves to move the rider from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position illustrated in Fig. 2 for the applicationot a crown cap to a bottle.

The rider 4 carries a bottle capping throat 16 which is outstruck at its top 17 and secured to the rider 4 by means of a bolt member 18. The bottle cap lug threat has a resilient gasket 19 therein retained in position by means of spurs 20 as more fully explained in the copending pplication to Harry J. Lebherz, Serial No. 755,672, filed December 13 1924. The bottle capping throat 16 is flared outwardly and terminates in an an nular flange 21, permitting a crown cap 22 to be gripped in the capping threat for application to a bottle.

In order that the crown caps may be applied to the bottles in rapid suwcession we provide a wire member 23 bent to shape as represented in Fig. 3, the wire member being secured around the peripheral flange ot the bottle capping throat for retaining the crown cap 22 in position. The wire member 23 comprises pair of parallel extending portions 24 which are bent upwardly as represented at 25 and secured over the flange 21. In effect the wire member forms a pair of parallel extending rails along which the crown caps may he slid in succession alter each application of a cap to a bottle.

In F ig. 4 we have illustrated a modified arrangement of a spring return for the rider wherein a spring member 26 extends between the lower portion of the tooth sop; ment of the hand lever 7 in a position indi cated at 2'7 and hooks over the rider t as represented at 28, normally maintaining the rider in elevated position and ready for each successive bottle capping operation. The side portions 24 of the wire member 23 are shown as extending parallel with the edge of the skirt of the throat 16 with suflicient gap between the edge of the throat and the wire member to allow a crown cap to be readily slid and retained therein ready for application to a bottle. The parallel sides have such resiliency that they are readily sprung toallow the crown cap to be forced upon a bottle upon downward movement of: lever Thereatter the sides 24 return to normal position to receive another crown cap for a subsequent capping operation.

l hile we have described our invention in certain preferred. embodiments, we desire that it be understood that modifications may be made and that no limitations upon our invention are intended other than are imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

ll hat we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ot' the United States is as follows 1. A bottle capping head for ca p1 )imr tools (fOl'llpliSlllfj a cylindrical body member. an annular flange integrally connected with said body n'ieinber, a member supported from said annular flange and having: a pair of parallel extending side portions and a pair of inwardly directed end portions, said do portions being positioned in a plane offset from the plane of said inwardly directed end portions for maintaining a crown cap within said capping head preparatory to a capping operation.

2. A cappin head for bottle capping tools comprisimy a. cylindrical body meuibor, an nule flange connected to said cylindrical body member. a wire member having a pair oi parallel extending side portions supported from said annular flange and forming a slide along which a crown ca may be moved to a position within said cylindrical body member preparatory to the application of said cap to a bottle.

3. A. Clliflfillg head for bottle capping tools comprising a circular throat havii'ig an outwardly extending annular flange a wire member having a pair of parallel extending arms suspended parallel to the edge of said flange for receiving and retaining a crown cap in position beneath said throat said arms being arranged to more laterally with respect to each other for releasing the crown cap during; a bottle capping operation.

4-. A guide for crown caps comprising a wire member arranged to embrace the skirt of a bottle capping; head, wire member having a portion thereof hooked over the .srirt of the bottle capping: head and having a pair of arm portions extending beneath s id bottle capping head with the ends oi said arm portions offset and directed to ward each other engaging the shirt oi said bottle capping" head, said arm portions operating to guide and retain a crown cap beneath said bottle capping head and move laterally with respect to each other for releasing the crown cap during a bottle cappir '1' operation.

lln testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

HARRY J. LEBHERZ. ROBERT IV. LEBI-IERZ. 

